New FCERM Investment Framework — April 2026

Commitment: Publish a new FCERM investment framework by April 2026, updating how flood risk investments are prioritised and how partnership funding is assessed.

Owner: Defra / Environment Agency

Target date: April 2026

Metric: Publication of framework.

Status: unknown — deadline is April 2026; not confirmed as published in available sources.

Context

The current FCERM investment framework determines how the EA prioritises which flood defence schemes receive funding, using a cost-benefit analysis methodology (Partnership Funding Calculator). The April 2026 framework update is expected to:

• Update how risk to life, economic value, and environmental benefit are weighted
• Revise partnership funding requirements (currently, many communities cannot attract sufficient partnership funding to qualify for EA investment)
• Reflect the NaFRA 2024 revised risk modelling (6.3 million properties at risk vs. 5.5 million under old model)
• Incorporate climate change adaptation more fully into investment prioritisation

Why this matters

The current partnership funding model has been criticised for creating a postcode lottery: communities in areas where property values are lower cannot attract enough developer/local contribution to qualify for EA-funded defences, even if the flood risk is high.

A revised framework may redirect funding toward higher-risk communities that are currently under-served.

Open question

Has the April 2026 framework been published? This is a milestone that has likely passed. Status marked unknown pending verification.